Stains on clothing such as food, ink, grass and grease are a common side effect of normal wear. Inability to remove the stains may require the user to purchase a replacement garment with its attendant cost. In the self-service and commercial laundering and dry cleaning industries, the principal cleaning operation affects only the overall treatment of the garment or other fabric article. When there are isolated spots or stains in the fabric that are resistant to removal and do not respond to the overall treatment, the soiled or stained spots may need individual treatment. Other than treatment of the individual stain, the garment may not require overall cleaning.
Although some commercial laundries employ spotters to locate stains prior to general cleaning, self-service establishments and consumers washing clothes at home do not have an appliance designed to remove small, isolated stains only. Even for those commercial operations having spotters, the cost to the consumer for removal of small stains may be prohibitive if done on a regular basis. Therefore, there is a need for a device for removing stains from clothing at home that is inexpensive, simple and easy to use and that efficiently removes stains. The device should be portable and require no electrical or battery power for operation.